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Beers Historical Record
Volume I
Chapter 3
Agriculture , Fish and GameÂ
The pioneer farmers of this county had little to aid them in the
reclamation of the soil. The ground was covered with dense undergrowth and
weeds, the removal of which required the most arduous labor by hand. Small
quantities of grass seed were sown. The principal crops were rye, wheat, corn,
oats and buckwheat. The latter was often used as a roughland crop, frequently
saving the day when other crops failed. In 1819 the price of wheat was 50
cents a bushel, rye 40 cents and oats 20 cents.An accompaniment to the burning of the brush piles at night were the
mournful howls of the wolves, so it is seen that the settlers had some natural
music to divert them. In these modern days we have the mournful dog and
tuneful cat of our next-door neighbor to accompany our attempts at slumber.Wooden plows were used after one or two crops had been planted with the hoe
and mattock. Later the “Western” plow, with metal moldboard, was
introduced, and after that came the cast-iron plow. One of the old timers was
the “Bull” plow, so named from the power required to run it. Those
were the days of the “chaff piler” threshers and flails.The first metal plow was introduced into this county by James Elgin in Plum
Creek township, in 1811. He was so proud of it that he would never allow
others to use it, and on occasion would resent any attempt to borrow it
without his consent.AN ORIGINAL CHARACTER
Nearly a century ago Frederick Altman commenced, and continued for some
years, the manufacture of plows with wooden moldboards. He advertised in the
Kittanning Gazette, Sept. 21, 1825, that he was then making half-patent plows,
that is, those with cast-iron moldboards and wrought-iron colters. His plows
of both kinds are still remembered as having been excellent ones. The locality
where he made them is in the northern part of Burrell township, near the head
of a spring run which empties into Pine run above its junction with Crooked
creek.Altman must have been endowed with a good degree of mechanical ingenuity
and inventive genius. Besides guns and other things, he made a good
pocket-knife with twelve blades, and invented an auger with a chisel
attachment, by which he bored holes in his wooden moldboards, etc., which were
nearly square. He was certainly eccentric enough to have been a man of genius.
One of his eccentricities was his constant refraining from speaking to any of
his children. Their mother was the medium of communication from him to them,
except on one occasion, which was when he and one or more of them were going
to Kittanning in a wagon. When they were descending, or about to descend a
hill he said to his son Isaac, in German, perhaps involuntarily, “Nun
yetz der wagon must gespert sein!” “Now the wagon must be
locked,” equivalent to “down brakes.”Threshers began to be used in 1849, and reapers and mowing machines came
into use about 1860. The sulky rake was introduced in 1863. One of the reasons
for the slow adoption of these labor-saving machines was the extremely broken
surface of the country. As the methods of soil culture become more advanced
the use of machines gains greater headway, and they are made more adaptable to
the peculiarities of our farm structure.PRIMITIVE MILLS
The gristmills of those days were marvels of originality and ingenuity,
when we consider the crude implements used in their erection and the lack of
proper materials. Many of them were made almost without a piece of iron or a
nail. One of the earliest was that of William Green in North Buffalo township,
of which the following description will be of interest to readers who never
see the process of making flour now.The bolting chest of the first gristmill was made of the trunk of a large,
hollow button-wood tree, which was divided into two equal parts, one placed
above the other, with an interval of about two feet between them. The entire
interval on one side was closed by shaved clapboards, and all on the other,
except about four feet in the middle, which space was covered by a piece of
homemade linen cloth, nailed on the upper, and which dropped on the inside of
the lower part of the trunk so as to keep the flour from falling out of the
chest. Instead of a leather belt, a rope made of straw was used, which
required moistening to make it effective. People brought their grists to that
mill from twenty miles around. One of its customers was a little Irishman from
Butler county, who fell asleep while waiting for his grist. As he awoke, he
saw the large cog-wheel and the trundle-head turning between him and the
moonlight which penetrated a crevice in the wall. Being alarmed, he screamed
and yelled lustily. On being asked what was the matter, he replied, “I
thought I was in hell, and the big devil and a little one were after me.”All of these mills were operated by water-power, sometimes from an
undershot, but generally by an overshot, wheel. Our illustration of the
Cowanshannock mill will give an idea of the appearance of the better kind of
water mill.LIVE STOCK
Although the cultivation of the lands of this county is now often
neglected, owing to the tremendous development of the mineral resources, there
are some fine farms in cultivation by enterprising and intelligent
agriculturists. Their farms are generally well kept and their homes neat and
in many cases luxurious. The live stock on these farms is noticeable for its
high average, there having been a number of men who had sufficient foresight
some twenty-five years ago to import valuable strains of standard bred animals
into the district, which were crossed with what was already fairly good
Pennsylvania stock, and in many cases they have been bred up to standard. This
was noticeable in the Jerseys, Short Horns, and the Holsteins among the
cattle, and the Clydesdales and Percherons among the types of horses. Within
the last fifteen years racing and coach horses have received marked attention,
some of the best breeds of trotters and pacers being found on many farms. One
large stock farm, the Pleasant Valley, owned by A. Wayne Smith, has done much
toward improving this latter class of horses not only in the neighborhood but
in other parts of this and surrounding country. With such famous horses at the
head of the stud as “Highland Baron” and “Arcady,” and
standard bred mares from the best Kentucky strains, his enterprise attracted
the lovers of stock for many miles and the old “Purviance” strain of
horses made a very desirable class for crossing.About 1838 a superior breed of sheep was introduced into the county, this
stock being later improved by crossing with the native strains. Were it not
for the custom of some residents of sporting proclivities of keeping a number
of useless dogs, which annually go forth on sheep-killing raids, the sheep
industry would be further advanced than it is now.THE GRANGE
Much interest in later years has been awakened by the agricultural
colleges, experiment stations, and by the “back to the farm”
movement of the wealthier citizens of the great cities. Not least in this
movement to renew the vocation of agriculture and add to the wealth of the
farmer is the help given by the State and National Grange.The National Grange, or Patrons of Husbandry, was organized in 1867, and
the first lodge was located in this county in Cowanshannock township, in 1875,
the first president being John Steele. The next was that of Bethel, in 1876.
The present county organization is Pomona Grange, the officers of which are,
S.S. Blyholder, J.P. Ramalee and G.A. Marvin.The officers of Madison Grange are: F. Furlong, J.J. Pence and Miss Zella
Pence. Burrell—J.P. Ramalee, Mrs. J.P. Ramalee, Norman Rupert.
Kiskiminetas—J.I. Kier, Mabel Couch, Paul Martin. Mt.
Joy—Z.T. Lessig, A.J. Allshouse, G.A. Marvin.
Marshall—A.H. King, S.E. Smeltzer, H.F. Waltenbough. Pleasant
Union—Carl Miller, Lola M. Wolf, Mary F. Blyholder.
Washington—C.Y. Bowser, Watson Bowser, R.R. Stoops.
Tidal—C.R. Hornberger, T.C. Heath, W.E. Paine. Laurel
Point—J.T. Bowman, Mrs. D.D. Riggle, W.F. Hill.
Armstrong—S.L. Hiles, Edward Shakeley. Kaylor—W.K. White,
Grant Bair, Archie Stewart. West Franklin—R.L. McKee, M.C.
Templeton, J.B. Hindman.VINES AND FRUITS
Some of the farmers of this county were at one time engaged in the culture
of the vine, but the San Jose scale gradually destroyed the industry. We are
glad to state that in this year of 1913 the pest has at last been conquered.For a review of the fruit culture of the county reference is made to the
article on that subject by Rev. T.J. Frederick of Spring Church.FAIRS AND INSTITUTES
The Armstrong County Agricultural Society was organized in 1855. Its object
was to give fairs and hold exhibitions of the products of the county. A space
of ground was laid out for its purposes and a series of successful exhibitions
held in 1856 and 1857, after which interest lapsed and the society passed out
of existence.Each year the Armstrong County Fair Association has an exhibition of the
products of the county and promotes a series of trotting and pacing races on
its grounds below Applewold, across the river from Kittanning. The officers of
the association are: E.F. McGivern, present; W.E. Noble, secretary; M.J.
Linnon, treasurer.The Kiski Valley Agricultural and Driving Association was chartered in
1910, and has held annual meetings on the grounds near Apollo since that date,
at which exhibits of farm products are made and daily races held on the track
adjoining. The officers are: L. Todd Owens, president; Dan Clark, secretary.
The directors are: Frank Newinghaus, David Elwood, Charles P. Culp, W.A.
McGeary, W.E. Shutt, John H. Bair, Jr., Dr. John F. Boal, Dr. S.J. McIlwain,
C.F. Armstrong, S.J. McDowell, W.B. Swank, J.C. George, Bert Orr, Frank J.
Isency.Since 1895 the State agricultural department has held annual
farmers’ institutes at the principal points in the county, at which
addresses are made by competent lecturers on varied subjects. The attendance
has increased from year to year and much interest is manifested in these
farmers’ schools. During the year 1914 meetings will be held in
Dayton, Elderton and Spring church.STATISTICS
An interesting item is the report of the United States department of
agriculture is the statement that the potatoes of Armstrong county contain but
70% of water, in comparison with those of other States, which have a
percentage of 90.There were raised and made in this county in 1870, according to the census,
298,194 bushels of wheat, 135,257 bushels of rye, 680,314 bushels of corn,
883,846 bushels of oats, 33,192 tons of hay, 126,068 pounds of wool, and
964,020 pounds of butter, besides large quantities of other agricultural
products.In 1830 the cost of a barrel of flour was $3, beef was 3 cents a pound,
venison hams were 1 1/2 cents, fowls were 6 cents each, butter 6 to 8 cents a
pound, and eggs 6 cents a dozen. The value of common labor was correspondingly
low, only 50 cents being paid for a day’s work of twelve hours, and
this seldom in cash.In 1878 flour was $8 a barrel, butter 14 to 35 cents a pound and eggs were
10 to 20 cents a dozen. Day labor could be had for $1 and the hours were ten.In 1913 the price of flour is $6 to $7; beef, 11 to 25 cents a pound;
poultry, 14 to 25 cents; eggs, 20 to 40 cents a dozen; butter, 30 to 45 cents
a pound; venison not to be bought anywhere; while the prices paid for farm
products are; wheat, 95 cents a bushel; buckwheat, 70 cents; wool, 18 cents a
pound; hay, $13 a ton; and even turnips are worth 40 cents a bushel. The
prices paid for common labor vary from $1.50 to $3 per day of ten hours.In 1825 Charles C. Gaskill, agent of the Holland Land Company, offered for
sale 150,000 acres of land at from $1.50 to $2 per acre, on the easy terms of
5% cash and the balance in eight equal annual payments. In 1830 the best
improved farming land was worth from $12 to $20 per acre. In 1880 it was
valued at from $60 to $100 per acre. Such land is seldom for sale at present,
the prices ruling from $40 to $125 per acre, according to mineral deposits and
market locations.The report of the commissioner of statistics of Pennsylvania for 1873 shows
the assessed valuation of real and personal property in Armstrong county to
have then been as follows: Real estate, $11,488,318; personal estate,
$2,259,795. Total, $13,748,113.The report of the secretary of the interior shows this county to have an
area of 612 square miles, or 391,680 acres, of which over two-thirds is under
cultivation.There are 100 species of mammals and 130 species of birds in Armstrong
county, of which 115 are native. The bear, panther and deer have long ago
become extinct. An occasional eagle, however, has been seen. Bounties on
various obnoxious animals are still offered and sometimes collected.From the report of the director of the census for 1900 we glean the
following figures for Armstrong county:The number of farms in the county was 4,112; the area of land in the county
was 417,920; the amount under cultivation was 367,867 acres, there were 4
farms of 3 acres, 312 of less than 10 acres, 295 of less than 20 acres, 641 of
less than 50 acres, 1,265 of less than 100 acres, 1,251 of less than 200
acres, 266 of less than 500 acres, 63 of less than 1,000 acres, and one of
over 1,000 acres.The value of the land in the county was $11,487,568; buildings, $6,222,346;
implements and machinery, $967,175; domestic animals, poultry and bees,
$2,103,694.The domestic animals on the farms and ranges were: Cattle, 21,976, value,
$557,607; horses, 9,566, value, $1,219,400; mules, 196, value, $24,925; swine,
20,154, value $130,076; sheep, 13,009, value $51,013; goats, 70, value, $292;
poultry, 189,823, value, $110,038; colonies of bees, 2,485, value, $10,293.Farms operated by owners, 3,211; operated by tenants, 860; by managers, 41.
Classes of crops and amounts: Corn, 694,873 bushels; oats, 493,430 bushels;
wheat, 206,372 bushels; barley, 543 bushels; buckwheat, 148,466 bushels; rye,
36,310 bushels; beans, 130 bushels, hay and forage, 41,619 tons; Irish
potatoes, 288,709 bushels; sweet potatoes, 466 bushels; maple sugar, 35
pounds; maple syrup, 273 gallons; apples, 217,773 bushels; peaches, 58,917
bushels; pears, 5,907 bushels; plums, 15,901 bushels; cherries, 18,478
bushels; quinces, 565 bushels; grapes, 441,638 pounds; strawberries, 86,444
quarts; raspberries, 28,238 quarts; blackberries, 15,519 quarts; nuts, 26,495
pounds.Value of crops: Cereals, $2,225,711; grains and seeds, $3,089; hay and
forage, $545,722; vegetables, $326,529; fruits and nuts, $235,999; all other
crops, $120,890.GAME PRESERVATION
The early settlers on the American continent found here probably the
greatest supply of wild game that the world has ever seen. The forests teemed
with bird and animal life and the streams and lakes abounded in edible fish.
Contemporary accounts agree on this point. The settler killed his deer almost
from his cabin door, and birds were so numerous that shooting them was hardly
sport. In fact, the colonist, especially in Pennsylvania, had little of the
sporting instinct. What he shot was distinctly for the pot and ammunition was
so costly and so likely to be needed against the ever-threatening red men that
its waste was a thing unthinkable.This condition continued way down to within almost a generation of our own
time. Near the large cities the demands of the market were beginning to make
inroads before the Civil war, but these depredations were little felt, so
great and apparently inexhaustible was the supply. Then with shocking
suddenness came the drop. First went the heath hen, a variety of grouse the
early settlers found in abundance throughout Pennsylvania and the Middle
States along the seaboard. The passenger pigeon was the next to disappear. The
years immediately following the close of the Civil war saw this bird dwindle
from uncountable millions to complete extinction. In 1908 the last wild
specimen known was captured near Detroit and one lone survivor mourns his
departed fellows in a cage in the Cincinnati Zoological Park. A price of
$3,000 for two mates for this bird was offered with no takers.The tragedy of the buffalo is known perhaps better than all. The great
herds that covered the Western prairies were bound to dwindle and disappear
before the advance of the cattlemen and the settlers, but today thousands of
square miles of waste land lie empty that could have supported large herds of
American bison without loss or damage to anyone. Today there are in the
neighborhood of 1,600 head, wild and in parks, in all North America. The
prong-horned antelope has practically ceased to exist as a wild animal, and a
similar fate threatens the big-horn sheep, the mountain goat, and the grizzly
bear.In the case of the big game little more can be done at the present time
other than to give ample legal protection to the specimens that are still at
large and to increase the number of the parks and preserves in which they are
safe from hunter and settler alike. Buffalo and elk respond readily to such
treatment and something can be done for the sheep and goats. The fate of the
antelope is probably sealed and the doom of the grizzly is not far distant.Bird refuges are increasing in number and size yearly, along with greater
stringency in enforcement and character of protective laws. New York has led
the way with the Bayne bill prohibiting the sale of wild game or its shipment
out of the State for purpose of sale elsewhere. But these measures are at best
only palliative. Illegal shooting continues in many places where enforcement
of the law is lax, the district too large for proper patrol. Like it or not,
we must admit that we are confronted with the same situation as that which
English sportsmen faced many generations ago. Genuine wild game is losing its
place—has already lost it in many cases—and we cannot
legislate it back into existence. It remains for man to step in and do what
Nature can no longer do unaided. In other words, the salvation of the future
lies in the artificial propagation. Birds and fish lend themselves peculiarly
well to this sort of treatment.FISH PROPAGATION
As in many other similar cases, when we found ourselves confronted with the
problem of saving our fish, the solution was ready to hand. It was in 1725
that Stephen Ludwig Jacobi, a German youth of seventeen, conceived the idea of
artificially fertilizing the spawn of fish. Sixteen years later he hit upon
the right method, but with characteristic German carefulness it was not until
1761 that he announced his discovery and his method. America, of course, had
no need of Jacobi at that time and for many years after; and it was the French
government that established the first extensive hatcheries nearly a century
after the German experimenter had made his discovery known.The State of Ohio led the way on this side of the Atlantic in 1853, but
little was done until within the last two decades. To-day the Federal
government and most of the States conduct extensive hatcheries and distribute
hundreds of millions of eggs, fry and fingerlings annually.POLLUTION OF STREAMS
This insures the solution of the fish problem—if the young fish
when distributed can be assured of a proper habitat. To this end it is
necessary that eternal watchfulness be employed to prevent the pollution of
streams and lakes. Factories, mills, mines are a constant menace in this
respect, and the fate of the salmon in the Connecticut river is a case in
point. In Colonial times this stream teemed with them during the spawning
season, but with the appearance of the first dams and mills just after the
Revolution they began to disappear, and within a decade the river was
completely abandoned by this beautiful fish. This has been repeated in varying
degrees in countless instances. The question of the pollution of streams is
one of the most difficult problems that the Pennsylvania Department of
Fisheries has to solve says Commissioner of Fisheries N.R. Buller:“Public sentiment is rapidly growing in favor of having all the
streams cleared up and this is shown every day by the number of complaints
that reach the department. Recently the Susquehanna river at Williamsport was
reported badly polluted. All the manufacturers in this territory were notified
that they must stop the pollution of the streams. Examination showed that with
hardly an exception not one had done anything in the matter, so the department
has directed prosecutions against every manufacturer along the streams, with
possibly one or two exceptions. One thing the department has to combat is the
fact that when the prosecutions are brought in a particular place, the
citizens of that place object because the industry is an important one to the
town and say that the manufactory at some other place ought to be the
victim.”A few weeks previous to this examination the Susquehanna river was reported
polluted between Lock Haven and Williamsport, many fish being killed. The
result of the department’s investigation was the prosecution of the
Lock Haven Paper Company. The superintendent was found guilty and sentenced to
pay a fine of $100.Source: Page(s) 19-23, Armstrong County, Pa., Her People, Past and Present,
J. H. Beers & Co., 19114.
Transcribed June 1998 by Michael S. Caldwell for the Armstrong County Smith
Project.
Contributed by Michael S. Caldwell for use by the Armstrong County Genealogy
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